ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. court — for sport
  5. field — for sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — for a lock
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. field — a subject
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — hasty
  15. court — of a king
  16. rock — music
  17. fall — the season
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. key — in music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. court — of law
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com